Published 1:00 am, Sunday, May 21, 2006

NEW HAVEN (AP) - A Danbury attorney whose office was raided in an organized crime investigation last year is challenging the seizure of thousands of his legal records.

The FBI, which is investigating the mob's influence over the region's trash industry, seized more than 50 large boxes of documents and some company computers from attorney
Jack D. Garamella
's office last July, attorneys said.

Garamella was the longtime corporate lawyer for
James Galante
, a Danbury trash hauler and the acknowledged target of the FBI racketeering case. At the time of the raid, Garamella was also president of New Fairfield Sanitation, a Galante-affiliated company.

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Garamella's attorney,
Ethan Levin-Epstein
, said he would not speculate about whether prosecutors consider Garamella a criminal target. But he said investigators believe some of the legal documents, which normally would be off-limits, were used as part of a crime and can be used as evidence.

Levin-Epstein disputes that claim and called the seizure "disturbing."

"He is a well-respected, well-known lawyer," Levin-Epstein said. "This isn't somebody who's got his office in the plaid pocket of his sport jacket."

The fight over Garamella's documents is the latest evidence that the FBI is casting a wide net in the trash investigation. Dozens of companies in Connecticut and New York have been searched, as has the home of Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, the 85-year-old New York man who prosecutors have called the acting boss of the Genovese crime family.

U.S. District Judge

Ellen Bree Burns
has appointed Bridgeport attorney
Jacob D. Zeldes
as an independent overseer, called a "special master," to review Garamella's documents and report back on what should be released.

Garamella's law firm remains open and he continues to practice.

All files in the case are sealed and it is unclear how long the review will take. Zeldes was out of the office this week and
Tom Carson
, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, would not comment. Garamella has not returned phone messages for comment.

"All subpoenas on lawyers should be fought vigorously," said attorney
Hugh Keefe
, who represents Galante in the criminal case. "It's thankfully still rare, especially in this state, and I hope Mr. Zeldes, the special master, will respect the delicate nature of the attorney-client relationship."

Galante's attorneys say he is an honest businessman. He also owns the Danbury Trashers minor league hockey team.